Wednesday, May 22, 2013

A Rose Named St. Cyr

Last summer, I decided that I could not--positively could not--acquire any more roses; my yard is full, full, full. Except, how could I resist a rose named St. Cyr?

It's a Pierre de St. Cyr, and dates back to 1838. A Bourbon bred by Plantier, it's deliciously fragrant and is said to grow only 3-5 feet high, although roses in New Orleans can often reach heights unheard of in other places (which is why it's still in a pot, while I learn its habits). I snapped these pictures with my phone about a month ago, the first time it bloomed for me; it's now doubled in size and is covered with blossoms, but it's pouring outside today, so the old photos will have to do.

Of course, since I bought a rose for its name, I couldn't really complain when Steve bought a White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth, simply because he was so taken with the name. Which just goes to show that roses, like books, can sell on the bases of their names/titles alone.

11 comments:

Of course you needed a St. Cyr rose!! That is so "your" rose, I'm thinking. On a totally different topic, I just finished the Anatomist's Wife, another historical mystery series in the making. I liked it. Have you read it yet? Sebastian is still my fav!!! Hope you have a terrific memorial weekend. Sabena

Candace,To quote THE quintessential Author, Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) "a rose by any other name......would smell as sweet"---LOL. Of course, when you saw the St. Cyr rose, it had to be added to your rose garden, along with the other seventy plus (if I remember correctly) that you have. Was wondering, how you chose the St. Cyr surname for the Sebastian series, during your research phase. Were there any other names, that were high on your list, but did not make your final selection?

Charles, I don't think I ever heard you say where you got "Talera" from.

Sabena, I haven't read it yet, but I've been hearing about it.

LOgalinOR, I knew from the beginning he would be Sebastian, but I remember spending quite some time coming up with the last name. Nothing else was in the running, just a continuous search for the "right" name. Names are really important to me, and I can spend a long time spinning my wheels until I come up with the right one. There are lots of St. Cyrs around here, so I didn't realize that a lot of people wouldn't be familiar with it. People are always asking me how to pronounce it, but I only know how the French say it.

And I didn't realize until now that those are two different books! Oops.

About Me

A former university professor with an incurable case of wanderlust, I write the Sebastian St. Cyr Regency mystery series under the name of C.S. Harris and thrillers as one half of C.S. Graham. I’ve also written historical romances as Candice Proctor.